FREECYCLE AWARD. West Salem eighth grader Whitney Lynch was presented with a Certificate of Environmental Stewardship by Kevin Schilt, Edwards County Freecycle Moderator, on behalf of Freecycle Founder Deron Beal.

West Salem eighth grader Whitney Lynch was presented with a Certificate of Environmental Stewardship by the Freecycle Network last week for her recycling efforts at West Salem Grade School. The certificate was presented by Edwards County Moderator Kevin Schilt on behalf of Freecycle Founder Deron Beal.
Lynch saw a need at the end of the last school year, but really got busy this year, taking action on the problem. “I wanted to start something and there was no recycling at the school here. We started with paper since there is massive amounts wasted,” Lynch said. “We continued to plastic bottles and aluminum cans.”
Lynch was assisted by teacher LaVada Meeks in her efforts which include bins in the hallway where students empty boxes of paper from the individual classrooms. When they need to be emptied, Dale Hayes comes and picks it up.
Lynch has also taken the lead on applying for a state grant to help keep the program going at West Salem.
When the recylcing program was mentioned in the press earlier in the school year, Kevin Schilt of West Salem was intrigued. He contacted Meeks and wanted to know how much Lynch was actually involved in the project. Soon after, Schilt nominated Lynch for the award.
The award was in recognition for her dedication and outstanding commitment to conservation and waste reduction through recycling.
There are over 3,500 Freecycle groups located around the world with over 2.2 million members.